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Old 27th Dec 2011, 17:58
  #58 (permalink)  
M.Mouse

Controversial, moi?
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
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The inference that an experienced captain should not fly with an inexperienced FO is a false premise.

CRM first came to prominence when several accidents occurred and were caused by the resources (crew) and their skills being poorly managed and having a direct bearing, if not sole cause, on the ensuing accident.

One notable example was the DC10(?) which flew into the ground (Florida I think) while perfectly serviceable because all three flight crew were pre-occupied with what turned out to be a failure of one of the three landing gear green lamp indicators. Nobody was flying the aircraft.

In more recent times in the UK the British Midland B737 crash at East Midlands Airport gave us all some strong lessons in how the CRM aspects of the flight could have been handled better. I know that in BA it led some some changes in emphasis during recurrent training.

My point is that until the national authorities force airlines like Air Blue to design and implement initial and recurrent CRM training courses for all their pilots only then will avoidable accidents like the one in question be prevented.

The first CRM course I attended was the initial BA offering. It was residential and lasted three days. There was opposition but the flight deck culture slowly and surely changed for the better. The days where BOAC captains only spoke to the junior first officer through the flight engineer or senior first officer were finally laid to rest.

In the early 1990s I recall one former BA cadet, who had not long graduated and completed his line training, who took control from an experienced captain and flew a go-around when he was unhappy with the what he judged to be a flare at too great a height. As it happens he was wrong and he was suitably de-briefed on the incident. But which would you prefer a co-pilot sufficiently well trained and confident enough to be aware that he has a responsibility and duty to safeguard the safety of a flight, physically intervening if he has to, or one like the hapless Air Blue co-pilot? In the BA incident what he did may have been an error of judgement caused by great inexperience but what he did was not actually dangerous. The alternative, in a situation like the Air Blue crash, is often fatal.

Of course it all costs money so please don't hold your breath waiting.
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